Population Is Certainly Growing
by decco6226
Summary: After the nuclear war in 2015, sixteen-year-old Decco flees his home into a town called Rainhill. Learn about a life filled with adjusting, friendship, paranoia, horror, and hope.
1. Prologue

**PROLOGUE**

Darkness.

A female voice hums a sweet lullaby.

 **POST-APOCALYPTIC NORTH AMERICA - 2015**

 **THE NUCLEAR WAR IS OVER.**

 **HIDDEN IN THE MOUNTAINS, SMALL VILLAGES OF ANIMALS LIVE WITH HUMAN PERSONALITIES. THE EMOTIONS OF RAGE AND HATE ARE PHYSICALLY INJECTED INTO REGULAR MAMMALS AND SENT TO THESE CAMPS TO EXTERMINATE THE MUTATIONS.**

 _The raw, raspy sound of an older male child struggling to breathe._

 _Drops of blood drip up the cliff wall, shown sideways. Decco, sixteen years old is lying on the ground, clearly in agony. A thick ribbon of blood is flowing backwards into his nostrils, and the view goes skywards. As it does, his dilated pupils shrink. The small stream of blood from his mouth drips backwards into his lips, as well as the single tear that disappears into his eye._

"Why are you showing this!" I scream at my laptop. "Why would you show this!?" I yell through my bedroom door, vocals directed downstairs. I'm in a video shown on the internet, both watching and actually in the stream. I am currently watching me getting beaten by my father and step-mother. My father… put this on the Internet for all eyes to see what a little "shit" I am, as they call me. Many are watching. The comments are getting littered with many hurtful things that humans should not hear, see, or even think.

 **Ah, the quarantine zone...**

I start to cry. Life is not good when you're sixteen and getting abused by your parents. It isn't good when you have to pay for your own food and school when you're that age. When the people who are supposed to care for you have succumbed to "rage". When you are left out and are "different" as many say. That is my life. It was, still is, and always will be... Until tonight.

 **A time for leisure, recreation, and taking it easy, unless you're me.**

I live in a small town called Toran. It's an ugly town, where everything is dead, dry, messy, and all in all, just a horrible place to live after the wars. While turning to my mirror, a sigh escapes my mouth. Brown hair, blue eyes... Blue eyes were a trait from my father, whereas the brown hair was from my mother.

"I'm leaving in nothing but a T-shirt and shorts..." I say quietly to myself. But I'll be alone... I've been abandoned already, then I'm going to die – alone and in pain. All three of my fears and I haven't even made it to age twenty...

 **My name is Decco. The boy about to puke is also me.**

"Ha."

Footsteps stomp up the stairs. Two sets. My father and stupid-ass stepmother. I can't move out. Parents are divorced, mother's on another side of the globe. I dash to my door and slam it. The footsteps speed up. I twist the lock on my knob - they were too stupid to take it off. Good for me. _BANG BANG._ The slams against my door are so loud and fast it's terrifying.

"Leave me alone!" I scream. My door won't hold forever. It's made out of a flimsy wood. It will last maybe two minutes. That is unless they grab -

"Bring the axe!" My father yells. Great. Peachy. My worst thoughts are confirmed. I have maybe a minute and a half now. I waste no time. First, I slide my desk against the door - not that it'll help… I pull out my blue backpack. I place in my laptop and it's charger. Alongside my smartphone and it's charger. I have all this technology from the crime of theft, but those crimes didn't go unnoticed. But they'll vanish in time. Just like I will, and just like everything else. The front door slams downstairs, showing that my time is halfway done. I toss in my sketchbook and pencil case. Grabbing a random book from my shelf - I don't have time to carefully select my favourite; time is too precious. I also grab a map, and my wallet, which has two thousand Bells. Not a lot, but enough for a few days. The front door slams again. I throw on my brown shoes, and put on a red hat with grey horns on it, that matches my red shirt. I swing my bag around my shoulders.

 _CRACK!_ I turn around in the direction of the noise, seeing an axe head come through my door, and it gets stuck in the wood of my desk. I scream and let gravity pull me down. Horror fills my body and paralyzes me. The axe disappears and slams into my door again as I look up, helpless. I scream once again, but eventually regain my body control and get off the floor. I'm actually surprised the neighbors don't come over to see what the matter is. I grab a stool that once lived next to my desk and toss it through my window. The glass shatters, and I leap out without hesitation, cutting myself in the process.

 **You may be wondering what I'm doing, fleeing from humans of unimaginable horror...**

I land on grass after jumping out a story. Pain shoots through my shins and into my kneecaps. I can barely move. I fall to the earth again, helpless. I hold my knee for a second after sitting up, and wheeze. I look up into the sky in pain, and as I do that, my father's face stares down at me from my window. I immediately get up and try to run. I try, try and try to at least move with speed, but I can only limp - not even with a hint of quickness. I try to scream in pain and or horror, but nothing. Only a small squeak that nobody could ever hear but me. I simply cannot speak. I limp out onto a road and turn into a direction. No cars or people. I turn around, seeing a set of two lights advancing towards me. A truck! I wave my hands out and finally, produce a scream. The loudest scream of my life.

It pulls over, and a man steps out. "What the hell!?" He yells. The front door bursts open, and my father comes at us with an axe. The rage in his eyes was petrifying. I almost froze again.

 _What has it done to him?_

The man bolts to the driver's seat, yelling "Get in the back, kid!" I climb slowly, all the nerves in my legs pumping out pure agony, but as I'm over the edge of the hoodless back of the truck, I let gravity take me. I fall in with a _thunk_. The vehicle zooms away from a floor-it before I can even sit up. As I'm looking at the road behind us, I see my father sprinting, arms high in the air, axe clutched in his fists. The only thing I can do is scream hysterically. Gasps filled with complete terror, rage, and victory.

 **Don't worry, there's a perfectly reasonable explanation.**

The man eventually lets me off at the farthest train station he could. I thank him for all he did, and he said he would file a report to the authorities. Maybe this would prove to everyone what "rage" does. Leaving, I order a ticket for another town. I didn't read or look at anything - not even what town I was going to. Any town was better than this. It was five hundred Bells for one ticket and another five hundred for two granola bars plus a bottle of water that I buy to regain my energy. At six o'clock P.M., the train whistles into the station. That is where my old life dies, and my new life is born.


	2. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

 _It's dark, very dark. The sound of a guitar plays, and spotlight brights up the darkness. There's a white dog sitting on a stool, playing the guitar. Just plucking away at strings, the same few notes repeating. He eventually looks up at me, saying, "So, you've decided to move out? Get your own place? See the world? That's groovy. Who needs someone telling you what to do all the time. You can do what you want, when you want, where you want. Yeah, living on your own, being free. It feels great. …But living by yourself can be a real drag too. Still, if you've got some real tight friends somewhere nearby, then you know it'll all work out. Yeah man. Friends are far out. …Oh, I guess I'm kind of rambling. My bad. Later." He finally says. He then looks down to the floor, still strumming, and it fades to black again…_

My eyes slowly open. It's daytime outside. Sunlight beams through all the windows, not one being covered. I don't even know where I'm going, nor do I care. Soft music plays through the speakers of the train. As I sit up, a sudden pain twists in my stomach, notifying me that I am famished. I take out a second granola bar - I ate the first one before I just crashed for the night on the railway. The train's almost empty. I'm on a long seat made of wood, and a soft green cushion that's built into the wood of the bench. I sink my teeth into the bar. The flavor of peanut butter fills my mouth. I look at the door at the end of the train car. It opens, and out comes a cat. It's about my height. Its eyes are red, and so is his shirt. Its fur is white and blue, and it smiles when he sees me. It closes the door and approaches me.

"Hrmm… Uh… Excuse me… Do you have a second?" I nod, still chewing. "Could you help me out? Is it… Let's see now… nine twenty-three A.M. on Saturday, October seventeenth, two thousand and fifteen?" I check my phone.

"That's right!" I say.

"Say, thanks!" He says, laughing. "You're a big help…" I smile. This is one of those rare moments called respect that barely happens to me. "So, you mind if I sit here? I promise I won't fall asleep, tumble onto you, and start drooling on your shirt!" I look around.

There were plenty of vacant seats available, but the company wouldn't hurt. "Please," I said. He then walks to the seat opposite of me - but facing me - and hops up.

"Thanks again! It sure is nice meeting friendly folk on the train…" I nod, swallowing the last of my food. "You aren't a psycho right? Just kidding!" He says. I laugh at that. My exact thoughts about him! "Say, by the way… what's your name?" He asks.

"Decco," I replied. He thought about it for a second, before saying "Hrmm… Well… Hrmmm… Decco… Now THAT is an odd name." He then laughed again. "Not that my opinion means much. What matters is, do YOU like the name Decco?" I thought about it for a second, and had to agree, I did like it. It's different, and I like it when people say it's unique. I haven't heard anyone else that has been called by the name

"Isn't it cool?" I boast, then immediately blush, bragging the last thing meaning to slip from my lips.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" He suddenly said. "Did I say it was odd? It's not odd! It's a great name for a boy! Really… It's a really great name." He laughs nervously.

"You know it!" I reply.

"By the way… if you don't mind me asking… where are you headed?"

I gasp slightly. I didn't even know myself! What if I had missed it? What if it's the next one and I didn't realize? That would be awkward. I pull out the white ticket from my pocket and check it.

" _Rainhill_." I read aloud. "You're going to Rainhill?" He asks, reassuring I guess.

"That's right!" I said. "Hey!" He exclaims. "I know that place! Rainhill is one of my favorite vacation spots! So, what are you going to Rainhill for?"

"I'm moving."

"Hrmm... Moving, huh? I hate moving. Pack boxes, unpack boxes. It never ends." I guess I would never earn the luxury of having boxes of stuff to move since I had only two minutes to pack up. "Say! Where's your new place?" He asks.

"Don't know yet," I admit. His next expression is clearly shocked.

"What?! You don't know yet? Are you out of your tree? Well, we obviously need to find you a place to live!" He obviously didn't know what happened not less that twenty-four hours ago. He thought for a second. Now, if it was possible for a light bulb to pop up above his head, now would be the time. "Oh, wait!" He says. "Boy, am I dense! This buddy of mine runs the shop in Rainhill! Let me give him a jingle! This will take me two seconds. Wait here, ok?"

I nod, and he hops off.

He walks over to the door where he emerged from, opens it, and then walking in, shuts it. He then turns to a wall. I hear the beeping of buttons.

 _Hey there, Nook! …It's me!_ I don't want to eavesdrop, so I focus on the moving greenery outside. I could hear keywords like _"Hasn't found a place to live"_ and _"tight spot."_ I believe _Decco_ was said, as well as _really_ and _cool!_ He then comes out, closes the door, and walks back on over.

"Ok, I'm back! Miss me? Well, good news for you!" He takes his seat again. '"It sounds like my buddy has some brand-new houses for sale, dirt cheap!" He must've seen my eyes light up at the words 'dirt cheap'. "The works all done, but he hasn't been able to rent them. He wants to unload them, so he's willing to take a loss. You have money, right?" Right then, I felt cornered.

I say "Oh, yeah" just so I don't make it any worse.

"Then you'll be just fine!" He says. That makes me feel scared that I would've been fine if I had brought more money. Then he suddenly exclaims "Oh! Looks like we're about to pull into Rainhill! Did I mention I love this place?"

I nod.

"Remember, things are never as bad as they seem. Honestly! Good luck and all that!" He says. "Maybe we'll run into each other again sometime!"

I nod, hopefully. I stand up, pulling my bag to my level.

"Well, goodbye!" He says.

The train starts to slow down as I move and wait at the door. It comes to a stop, and I step out into a new life. I step onto the brick floor of the train station. "Rainhill! Now arriving at Rainhill! Welcome to Rainhill! Watch your step!"


	3. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

I walk along the brick ground of the train station, bathed in sunlight. I walk down the brick steps that is under a large overhang and stop. Something approaches me. I think it's a raccoon, but there's a possibility it could be a tanooki. "Excuse me!" He calls out. "Hey, hey! Hey, you there! Yes, you!" He walks up to me. He has a caring, but agitated look in his eyes and he wears only a blue apron with a white leaf stitched on the middle. "Would your name happen to be Decco?" He asks.

I nod.

"Good, good! I just now had a phone call about you, hm?"

I nod once again. I'm very nervous, talking to somebody who's gonna sell me a house.

"Whew! I'm glad I made it here in time to meet your train!" He exclaims while wheezing slightly. "I'm afraid I'm not in the best shape of my life… But I ramble! My name is Tom Nook. I, uh, run the store here in town. I'm quite pleased to meet you, yes?" I nod my head, I guess you could say it was a 'likewise' nod.

Nook continues. "Something strikes me as odd though, my young friend. Moving to a town before settling on a place to live… Why it's the craziest thing I have ever heard of! Madness! Absolute madness, hm?"

He then begins to laugh uncontrollably. I could already see what kind of guy he was. I thought of telling him to stuff it, but I didn't want to come out immediately as a bad person. I may then just leave, and I'd be stuck - not that'd be the first time!

"Whatever…" I mumble.

"Woah-ho! Ho ho! Ah, ahem. Pardon me, I beg you! That just struck my funny bone! Now, don't you worry! It may be small, but I have a house you can move into right away! It should more than suit your needs, hm? I can show it to you now, so come along! Let's scuttle!"

He turns around and walks forward, me following behind. We walk through some white picket fences, and there are four houses. Small size, but strongly built. They even came with their own red mailboxes!

"Here we are!" He says. "Not too shabby, hm? I can heartily recommend any of these houses! Take your pick! Feel free to take a look inside. Really. I don't mind. Not in the least. After all, the doors don't have any locks."

That last sentence scared me. But in a small village, what could go wrong? I stepped to the one on my right - or the left one if you were looking at it from the front. It had a nice wooden door and a bright red roof. I twist the handle, open the door and walk inside, closing the door behind me.

The floor is cobblestone, and the walls are made of uneven sizes of bricks. They were that color of green that was just unappealing. In the front, right corner, there was a box, with a book and a red pencil on its cover. I walked over and flipped through it. Although blank, this journal would come in useful. I turn around. Behind me is a large blue… tape player? No, tape deck! I walked over and pressed down the play button. I had to force it a bit, and it clicked in place with a " _THUNK_ " Nothing. I pressed the eject button, which opened the tray to the left next to the large speaker on the right. Pressing this button also snapped the play button back to its original position. Empty. I shut the tray and adjust its antenna. I checked my phone, pulling it out of my back right pocket. My service was gone. Not as in 'no service', gone as in somebody canceled my plan. My father. Great. Again, peachy. I sighed, put my phone away, and walked back outside into the blinding sunlight.

"Well? What do you think? How was it, hm?" Nook asks. A lecture is another word for it. I adjust my horn hat.

"I like it!"

"You're quite sure? Here is the one you want?"

"Here is good!"

"Very well! It's decided then! That house now belongs to you, Decco!" A feeling of hope and excitement fills within me. "What a happy day for you, I'm certain!" Tom says. "I'll tell you what-I'll even throw in the radio in there free of charge!" I could've sworn I heard him mumble, " _I could never sell that thing at the shop…"_ He then told me the rundown of my house. He explained that my house didn't have any furniture and that I'd have to do that job myself. He also suggested popping into other neighbor's homes to get ideas for my own interior designs.

"Oh… Yes. That weird thing over by the door there… That would be your personal Gyroid assistant!" He explained. I look over at it. The only way I can describe it is one of those clay haniwa. "If visitors stop by when you're not around, this Gyroid will meet and greet them, hm? It truly is a must have! You can teach it messages, and the little fellow will repeat them to visitors!" He also explains that you could also leave items with it, to give and or sell to visitors. He also warns, and I quote " _BE SURE TO ABSOLUTELY SPEAK TO YOUR GYROID BEFORE BED!"_ For that is the only was to 'save' what I did that day, apparently.

"Now then," He states, "With fees and closing costs, the house comes to… nineteen thousand, eight-hundred bells!" And just like that, all of my hope and excitement died. That was a sucker-punch to the gut. I took out my wallet, only to be greeted by my only one thousand bells. I sighed and gave him all I had. He looked at it, and said, "Yes, that would be… not nearly enough! You only have one thousand bells?! You're joking with me, yes?" But my look said it all. And he knew it. "Why you're so short I can't help but laugh!" And that's what he preceded to do. Laugh his butt off. "You know what happens to people who don't have money, don't you? I'll tell you. They can't buy a house!" He must have seen how hopeless I am because he said "But… you still need a place to stay, don't you? Hmm… A thorny situation. Yes, rather thorny."

"What ab-"

"Then here's what we'll do! You can work part-time at my shop to pay off the rest! Yes, that's acceptable! Splendid! We're all set! This will work wonderfully! Now then, you'll have to come to my shop later to work. You can find my shop in Acre A-1. You can't miss it. At least, MOST people can't miss it. If you have trouble, check the map by the station, yes?"

I nodded. I was too tired to argue now. It will work. The situation had been solved.

"I'm heading back there now, so I'll be waiting for you. I'd ask you to be quick about coming, yes?"

I nodded once more. And with that, he left. As I saw him walking away, I muttered, "What did I get myself into?"


	4. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

The first thing I do is checking the map to the left of the train station. Well, it was in front of the station - to the left of the stairs under the overhang. The map was green and showed small green squares. It was a grid of the town. Each square represented an acre. A to F went vertical, while one to five went horizontal.

The rest of the squares contained white rectangles - bridges - over blue lines, which is the river. There are also little purple house symbols peppered over random acres, suggesting other houses. I found out I was in A-3, so I had to go to A-1, and that's what I'll do.

When I approach Nook's, I gasp. I thought my house was bad, and I immediately take that thought back. His store was what one would call a wood shack. It's pitiful, and looked like something a peasant would live in - but the common folk has homes much better than this! I walk in. "Well, finally you arrive! What took you so long?!" He asks. "I was starting to wonder if you'd show! Only kidding."

I snort in response. These kinds of people – no, beings? - get on my nerves.

"Very good, yes! First off, you'll need to change into these clothes!" He pulled out some clothes and handed them to me. "If you must know, I suppose you could call it your uniform. Please let me know when you're done changing, yes?" He said.

I grab my clothing and then picture it in my mind. The smooth fabric, the nice colors. I spin around, producing some sparkles, which gravity took over, and flew my hands in the air. The clothes were on, wrapped around my flesh, and my old clothes were gone. The clothing not only changed my shirt, but my horn hat had the same look. It's a dark, unappealing turquoise with a white leaf stitched in the middle. It looks okay, but not what I was looking for.

"That's better!" He cheers. "Yes. You look like you were born to wear that uniform! Now you can start working off the remaining eighteen thousand, eight hundred Bells you owe on your house. Hurrah!"

I sigh, I just wanted this whole thing to be over. But at the exact same time, I got a house and a pretty simple cost to pay.

"First off," he started, shoving some flower bags and tree saplings my way "I want you to go plant some trees and flowers around my shop. The area around here is too dull - not charming at all. It's just not an ideal sort of shopping experience, hm?"

 _"Yeah, neither is a shack for a store,"_ I mumble, but not loud enough for him to hear me. After explaining that people like a well-kept environment, he allows me to leave, telling me to come back once I am finished. I walked out without hesitation. As I step out a few steps, I turn around and look at the shop. It's made of thick wood, cheap glass for windows, no door, and one of those crappy, wavy tin roofs. I snort again - who'd shop here even with a nice outside environment. But this is my new job, and I have to do it well.

I spend most of my afternoon planting flowers in the soft soil to the left of the store, and tree saplings to the right. When I finished and thought I did a good job, I proudly walked back into the store. "So, did you make it look a little nicer out there? Gave the grounds some charming character, hm?"

I nodded, very happy with my work.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so I won't bother asking how you chose where to plant everything." My heart immediately sinks. I was so excited for him to see, and he just says that it isn't worth his time to see. "After all," he said "I'm not the one who'll get laughed at when travellers from other towns see your work. My, no!"

My sadness turns to rage. " _Oh, screw off man!"_ I scream so loud inside, I'm surprised it didn't make any noise.

"Now, let's just see here… That little chore was worth, oh… Let's call it about eighty Bells, yes?"

 _"Are you fucking kidding me dude!"_ I think. All that work and eight out of eighteen thousand, eight hundred. Then he says that he is quite generous, and he'll keep the money I make as payment toward my mortgage. I'm beyond steamed and am seriously considering slugging him in the face, consequences not in mine. I mean, how will I buy food?

As he brags about himself, I just mumble, "Oh, another Nook is great story. My favourite is when he makes the sun come up…"

"Wait just a moment… Something just struck me…" He suddenly says out loud - I was not listening to anything before. "Decco, you just moved to Rainhill… but you haven't introduced yourself to all the townsfolk, have you?"

 _Well, of course not, I'm forced into labor not even twenty minutes after I get here…_

"I'm going to give you a little break, so why don't you go introduce yourself to everyone in town, hm? Go on, now!"

I nod quickly.

"And don't forget to introduce yourself to the mayor, too. That would show some class." He reminds me. Before dismissing me, he tells me that I can find the mayor near the wishing well. I run out before he can say anything else, and once again, and greeted by sunlight.


	5. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

My first action is ripping off that uniform! While it does look nice, the material is flimsy - like Nook grabbed some old fabric and quickly stitched it together. It was like wearing a sheet! I spin around once again and am in my regular clothes.

"Glad I'm out of this mess…" I mumble. I immediately run without a moment's hesitation. I don't care where I'm going, I'm just glad to be far gone from there for a while. My running turns to jogging shortly, and I come to a small hill. I remember seeing one of these on the map, so I know I'm not off-track. As I step out, I am suddenly violently pushed to the side, sending me tumbling down the hill. I keep rolling, whacking my head many times on the ground, while twisting my arm quite a bit. And as I'm lying there, dazed and confused, the outline of a hippo approaches, raises it's arm and brings it down onto me. And then it's black.

Confusion. Blurriness. Paranoia.

 _"Copper, I found the unknown species…"_

 _"Rollo, that's a human! It's not unknown -"_

 _"Let's get Blather's to investigate it!"_

 _"Rollo-"_

Black. Silence.

My eyes snap open. There's a pounding in my head, and my arm has a mixture of dried blood and dirt on it - probably from the fall. I'm confused, dizzy, and apparently in a police cell, although I don't know why… I'm lying on the cold, hard ground, surrounded by a wall of bars. Since I'm in a cell, I know I'm locked in.

To put simply, I'm trapped.

"Hello, human…" I hear. I turn towards the noise, from what I recognize the voice as the one named "Rollo". I fully stand up - almost falling over!

"Who are you?" I ask.

"Rollo." He replies. It's too blurry, but I can tell he was a hippo… Just like the figure that approached me on the hill. It was him!

"What's your name?" He asks.

My snort is my reply. "What the hell is this!" I yell, tugging at the bars of the door to my cell. As I guessed, it was locked. Of course, why wouldn't it be?

He just slowly approaches me, slowly drawing closer.

"You can't escape, little boy…" He taunts. I snort once again, and settle down a bit, placing my hand on my wounded head, the other hand on a bar in the jail gate, resting it. I notice that he has the keys hanging from a key ring to his side.

 _Why would the Officer leave him in charge?_

"If you settle down" he teases "I'll put in a good word for you. Maybe the mayor and Officer Copper will let you stay here…" He placed his hand on mine, gently. I curled my hand in his.

"Oh…" I say sweetly but softly. My hand quickly curls into a trap on his pointer finger. I quickly jerk it to the left like a lever, snapping it. He screams and tries to pull away. But I slip my other hand, wrapping it around the keys, and holding on for dear life. He pulls away harshly, pulling me into the gate with two " _clangs"_ , violently smashing the side of my face into its metal bars. I finally let go, and hold my forehead to which has just worsened the pain.

"Little bastard." He mumbles, holding his broken finger. "How am I supposed to convince them to keep you alive?" He turns to the door.

"Decco," I yell my name.

He turns back.

"Tell them, that Decco is the little boy… who broke your FUCKING finger!"

Smiling, he walks out, slamming the door behind him, and leaving me in darkness and silence.

Minutes. Hours. Then I lose count. I'm left alone in this cold cell, sitting in a damp corner. All that's in the cell with me is a toilet and a small camping cot. I have a lot of time to think. I keep going back to what is wrong with that hippo... First, he knocks me out, thinking I'm a new species, then he's trying to get my name to put in a "good word" for me. He's obviously crazy, but why?

Sighing, I stand up. Literally, like I cued it, Rollo bursts through the door, screaming like an animal - ha… puns… He's full of rage. _Rage._ I'm frozen, and can't move. The fear has snared me in its grasp. He runs to my cell, pulls the key out, and unlocks it. Opening the door, he lunges at me immediately.

Almost instantly, I roll out of the way, causing him to crash to the concrete below. I crawl quickly to the freedom that the open door promised, but it slowly slipped away as I am pulled backwards from my feet. By instinct, I kick behind me, and I felt the strange consistency of flesh-covered bone. Rollo fell backwards again, and I leap up. I dash to the door, and as I was almost there, I feel a violent force on my back, and I fly to the stone wall, smashing my forehead into it.

I see stars, and my whole world went blurry. As I fell, my hand catches on the edge of a large barrel of rifles. They tumble to the ground along side me. Before I can even process anything that just happened, Rollo was on me. He pins me down, grabs my head, and slammed it into the stone ground. I scream with all the pain conflicted to my skull. When Rollo brought my head up again, that gives me the chance to grab a nearby bolt-action rifle. Grabbing the heavy gun, I swung it into his side, causing him to tumble. Adrenaline pulses through me, causing me to react quickly and feel no pain. I smash the butt of the rifle onto his face once when Rollo was down, then quickly crawl backwards until my back hits stone. I bring the rifle to my arm, pull back the bolt, causing the shell to eject and fall out. Loading a new shell in from the magazine, I then keep my aim.

Ten seconds pass, then I lose my will to defend myself, and violently threw the rifle to the floor. I wheeze and look at the closed door.

"It was self-defense, you fucking maniac!" I scream. The room is then filled with light, and I look up. A large dog dressed in a police uniform comes in, and gasps at the scene.

"Help…" I manage to squeak out, and then I am out.


	6. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

Pain. Agony.

 _They lift me up, careful not to hurt me anymore. I don't know who is helping, or even talking._

Darkness. Light. More pain.

 _They rip off my hat and look at my head wounds. I hear a gasp._

Lights. Fear. Hurt.

 _Two large hospital doors swing open. I zoom in._

Torture.

 _I swing around on a moving operation table._

Torment.

 _Someone pulls a syringe plunger back, filling it with some kind of liquid._

Claustrophobia.

 _Hands pumping on my bare chest. C.P.R., my open eyes dead to the world._

The world is upside down, the sky is on the ground while the grass is in the air. The word " _HELL_ " sits on the green in big white letters.

 _"COME ON DECCO, BREATHE, FUCKING BREATHE!"_

I gasp and open my eyes. A sudden severe headache hit me like a truck and I puke over the side of the bed. Then silence. I'm lying down, and my scalp is wrapped in a bandage, as well as my forehead, which also has a bandage on it. My shirt is off, and sections of my chest are either bandaged or wrapped up. My right arm is wrapped in a long line of gauze. I groan and rest my hand on my forehead. I'm confused, dazed. I don't know if I'm even hallucinating… I don't even remember anything. I sit up. I'm in a house - my house! I'm also on a bed - I guess someone brought one in. My head is suddenly hit with a series of questions. It all comes back. How long was I out? Who was taking care of me? Why is Rollo a sociopath? Where is Rollo?

I lay back down, still on edge but relaxed. I look at my chest. I'm not the best built of any human boy. I'm pretty skinny, not very strong with any mussels, or how many boys my age says "abs" - although I don't know why they do.

"At least I'm alive…" I mutter.

"You almost died." I hear. My head spins towards the door. That dog in the police uniform.

"Decco, I'm Officer Copper." He introduces, coming over and shaking my hand. "First off, I'm here to say that you are alright, and are only going to get better - although I'd advise staying inside for about a week to get your rest."

I could only nod while he pulls up a wooden stool that's near my bed. He sits down.

"Decco," He says "You died. You were gone for about a minute. Your head had some critical injuries, but nothing life-threatening. You will still be able to think and all of that. All those rumors about going stupid or whatever will not happen."

I still nod.

Copper leans in.

"Decco, what happened that night?"

I try hard to think. All I can hear or think of is "FUCKING BREATHE!"

"I don't know," I say. "I can't remember anything."

"There was the barrel of rifles which were all over the floor." He says. "The jail cell was open, and there was a small amount of blood on the wall, and quite a bit on the floor beside Rollo. Rollo was knocked out with the butt of a rifle. The rifle you were holding before you discarded it, and fainted."

I start to cry.

"He… He… attacked me! I don't know what happened! He just opened the door and…"

Copper nodded.

"I tried to get away, but he just kept pulling me back, and smashing my head against the floor-"

"Decco!" He yelled, and store. I was sitting all the way up, and one of my wound's opened. I sighed and lay back down, pain running in a straight line on my arm.

"Rollo has had similar cases like this in the past." Copper explains. "He's lashed out and injured others, but not as bad as this."

"Where is h-"

"In the station, don't worry Decco. He can't get you here." He assures me. He then stops. "He was infected."

"Infected with w-"

"They took him away a few months ago for 'experiments that would help the government'."

"So, he's infec-"

"He was given a prohibitor, but whatever they gave him seems to... pass on to others."

"Infected with what!?" I yell.

"Rage." There's a hint of fear in his voice.

I laugh. You didn't need a genius to figure out that.

"What is 'rage'? What is the nuclear holocaust coming to?"

"Decco." He stops me, then sighs. "I thought you knew about this..."

I shake my head. I know nothing. All I remember of this was the bombs... The talking animals, the news reports...

"It started in nineteen-forty-five. The Nazi's were conducting experiments in mental warfare. Trying to control the emotions that soldiers feel when killing, torturing, whatever. These emotions were placed in an assortment of animals, and tested before humans, otherwise known as us. Lots of us died. We were placed in these villages to see how relationships would form, and we were hidden from the public, until a couple years ago, Where we could roam freely, and anyone could know about us. But for some reason, one of the most critical emotions got out to the public..."

"Rage..." I fill in. I knew about this part. "Injected into the main bloodstream, it controls the thoughts, temper – pretty much everything medical and phycological about emotions."

"Exactly. Every mammal, including humans, became very violent being injected with it, killing anything that moves in pure... rage..." He laughs at this. "By the time they tried to evacuate the main cities it was already too late. Rage was contagious. Just a few humans at first, but then more and more..." He stops, knowing I get the picture.

"Why wasn't my town evacuated?"

We exchange looks.

"They left us for dead..." I say aloud.

"Wait... why did they want Rollo back?"

"More experiments, they wanted to test a new emotion mixed in with the same amount of "rage" on new individuals. He hasn't been the same since..."

"So you kept him here!? In this village where he could lash out and very well kill!?"

"We never thought he'd lash out this much, and we gave him multiple prohibitors, sedatives... we thought that'd be enough..."

"No, they wouldn't give him back! Think! What would you do if you wanted to get rid of a small village! They wanted this to happen!"

His look from my words say it all, I spoke the truth he did not know.

"What are you going to do to him…?" I ask. There was no response. Only silence. And I am left just to sit there.

"He will be taken to a mental asylum, and he'll stay there. He's too important for the government." Copper finally says. "Another outburst like this while in town and he may claim a life. He almost took yours." He then got up.

"Why not just kill him!?"

"That's not our call..."

I sigh and rest my head back down. I was so close to dying... Rage had claimed my father and many others. I'm so glad I got out.

"Thank you, Decco. Now, I'd advise you to stay indoors and get some rest for a couple of days."

I nod once more. And Copper leaves, shutting the door, and leaving me alone.

I've been stuck indoors for three days now. I've been mostly in bed. I've had no contact with the outside world besides a few letters and a daily delivery of soup and bread. There's a constant pounding in my head, and although the letter from the doctor said I'd be better in a week, I still feel hopeless.

Besides sleep, all I can do is eat what little I have, or to sleep where I am constantly plagued with various nightmares of torture and pain. The only other thing I can do is read. The only book I can read is the book of Grimm's fairy tales I grabbed from my bookshelf before I ran out. I've probably read the entire book over four times already, having nothing to do for one hundred and sixty-eight hours of house arrest. It's at these times I wish I had at least one friend to talk to. But alas, I made no friends when I got to town - the only time I could, I ended up in jail and almost got killed! I can't even talk online somewhere! There's no Internet here in Rainhill!

So for now, I willingly let rest take me over into the realm of constant pain and agony.

 _Half conscious. Getting dragged into an abandoned operation room by two individuals. I'm hopeless to fight; all I can do is just lie there and listen. "We can do this!" One yells. "Find morphine." I can't tell whether they're male or female - they're just voices. The one spoken to runs to a nearby cupboard and opens it. The other sticks a needle into my arm and leaves it there._

 _Pain suddenly starts and expands greatly in my lower abdomen. Air slips in and burns the sensitive flesh. The hole itself isn't large, but the pain expands greatly._

 _To put simply; I've been shot._

 _"I don't know what these are!" The one near the cupboard yells, hearing them rummage through the bottles and vials. Great._

 _"Adrenaline!?" They one farther away yells back._

 _"Yes."_

 _"Diamorphine!?"_

 _"Yes."_

 _The one with the drugs runs over to me, and I'm stuck with panic and pure fear._

 _Pain. Hallucinations. Agony._

I jolt awake, my body covered sweat and pain. The pain in my head starts again at excruciating levels.


	7. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

Sunlight shines into my eyes, partially blinding me for a second. I breathe in the clean air and replace the old house air from my lungs. It's been one week, and I'm finally able to come back outside. I hear the familiar sound of my mailbox alerting me of new mail. I walk over to it. It's red, and the blue alerting symbol blinks and makes some ring noise. The only way I can describe it is like one short, one long - like in Morse Code. I open it up, stopping the blinking and the noise - the mail flag goes down. I take out the only envelope in there. It reads _Tom Nook_.

Great. I know where this is going.

I examine the envelope. It's white with a red wax seal keeping it closed. The specific address reading is:

 _To: Decco_

 _House 1_

 _Rainhill_

 _Acre B-3,_

The return address is Nook's name, as well as his store name.

I open the wax seal and pull out my message.

 _Decco,_

 _Although your injury has happened, I am told that you are back on your feet. Please come back to my shop for your "volunteering" as soon as possible. I look forward to your arrival._

 _Nook_

"You asshole…" I mutter. I grip both sides of the letter as well as the envelope and try to rip them apart. But something keeps me from that… I sigh and look at the writing again.

"Fine," I mumble. "Fine Timothy Assnook. I'll play your game. I'll come and work."

I stomp inside my house and slam the door. I twirl around again to change into my clothes - a red shirt and a matching red horn hat. When I run outside again, I quickly run to an orange tree - our town's native fruit. I shake it, and three oranges fall down. I pick one up, and examine it. I run my hands around its slightly bumpy texture. I quickly dig my finger into its flesh. It's been a week since I've had anything that's not bread or soup. I dig my fingers into the hole and stretch it apart. I then place the opening over my mouth and squeeze the fruit. Sweet juice flows into my mouth, and I'm so desperate for something good to eat that I cough on the juice. Once I regain my breath, I sit down, and tear the fruit apart, and eat its insides. I slow down multiple times - when I rush, I bite the rind and the sweet taste in my mouth suddenly turns sour. When I gulp the rest down, I simply dispose of the orange carcass and stand up.

I walk into the lion's den. "Hello, Decco!" Nook says. "Glad to have you back! So, did you meet everybody in town? Quite a motley crew, yes? But variety is the spice of life, you know?"

I nod.

"If you don't get along well with the folks here in Rainhill, you'll never fit in, you understand?"

I nod one more.

"But never fear! I have a good feeling about you, hm? Now then… what should I have you do next? Ah, yes, I need you to deliver some furniture, hm? At last, it's like you're actually working in the shop! Take this to Egbert in Acre B-1, yes?" Then he takes out a leaf and hands it to me. I've actually heard about these! Furniture is displayed as leaves so they're easy to carry around. When you throw them on the ground, they transform! Pick them up, and they're a leaf again!

I grab the leaf and put it in my pocket.

"And don't stop to sniff the roses on the way!" Nook says. "Go straight there, and then come straight back, hm?"

And then I leave.

I waste no time. I run to Acre B-1 as quickly as possible. When I get to the acre, I walk around the house there and see a chicken - who I'm guessing is Egbert. Ha, Egbert. Egg… chicken. I swear I wouldn't be surprised if his parents were crack addicts when they named him. He is a yellow chicken with striped, orange legs. He has a short orange beak, as well as black rings under his eyes, which give him a tired appearance. His comb is red, and he has a slightly dazed expression on his face. He wears a shirt with a mix-match of large, multicolored diamonds on it - colors are around the red to yellow scale.

"A hearty good afternoon to you!" He says. "I'll say howdy just as often as you'd like, doodle-duh. Anyhoo, you probably want something, don't you? So, what is it, doodle-duh?"

"Delivery!" I say. I pull the leaf out of my pocket and hand it to him.

"Whoa!" He exclaims. "What's up with this?! What're you doing delivering stuff? You lose a bet?" He asks. I smile and shake my head. "I didn't have enough money for my house. So I have to work to pay it off."

"Ohh, so that's the story. You're in a bit of a bind, huh?" He then laughs. "That's the way it goes in the big old real world! Gotta get by somehow! Don't worry about it, doodle-duh! Tell you what! How's about I hook you up with this blue cabinet as a little housewarming gift!"

"Oh, no n-"

He takes out a leaf and hands it to me. I take it without arguing.

"Hey, no big thing!" He says. "It's brutal to live in an empty house, doodle-duh! Besides, you can use it to deck out your place. You know, move it around, see where it fits best."

We the both smile at each other, and he runs away. I do as well, back to Nook's Shop. As I'm running, I kick forward a nearby black and white soccer ball. And as soon as I get a letter from someone I know, I'll tell them what happened today.

"I made a friend."


	8. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

"Welcome back, worker bee!" Nook cheers.

I roll my eyes.

"It looks like you delivered the furniture. Nice work! You did a good job, so I figure that earns you… oh, say, two hundred and thirty Bells. Not bad wages, hm? Now, on to your next task!"

"But!" I interrupt. "It's too difficult to find things without a map." Nook pulls out another of those "Kids these days" and pulls out a map, handing it to me.

"Your next job" he starts, "is to write some copy for a direct mailing! You know, sort of a personal advertisement. I want you to send it to Mitzi, who lives somewhere in Row B." He must have seen the look on my face, because he says, "It's just good business. Mitzi is a very loyal customer, so this is a notice of a special sale! As for what you write… well, I'll just leave it up to you, Decco. But try to make it exciting!"

Oh, exciting, huh? I'll give you exciting… He gives me some stationary for the letter.

"Go to the post office to mail the letter, yes?" He then tells me to hurry back, and I'm out. I end up sitting down on a hill, the autumn air surrounding me. Paper in my lap, I think of what to say. This had to be good…

 _Dear Mitzi,_

 _I have your mom. If you ever want to see her again, you will come to my store._

 _Tom Nook_

No… I erase it.

 _Dear Mitzi,_

 _I know who you are. You don't know who I am, but I know where you live…_

 _Don't try to run…_

Almost…

I add:

 _P.S., it's Decco! Just having some fun!_

There we go! I place it in a blue envelope and run over to the post office nearby. Once in, I am greeted by a female pelican. She has a white tuft of hair and she wears a pink short-sleeved blouse with a white bow and sleeves and a purple skirt. She also wears rosy pink blush on her cheeks. I smile and walk up to her. She's behind a large red counter. To her left on the desk sits a clock, and a stack of envelopes tied up with string. To her right, there sits a large canvas bag tied up marked _MAIL_.

"Good day." She says cheerfully. "How can I help you?"

"Mail a letter?" I take out my envelope and press it against my chest. I eventually just toss it up on the counter, and she takes it. She places it on the counter behind her, and says "Ah, yes! I see! Would you like to mail more letters?"

"Never mind…"

"Oh, really? Come back anytime."

I nod a "likewise" and leave, heading straight for Nook's.

"Did you send the letter, hm?"

I nod.

"Good job! It took you longer than I'd have liked, so I'll have to dock you a bit. How does one hundred Bells sound?"

"Like you're a gigantic ass…" I mumble.

"But I'm glad you got it done. After all, if you can't even write a letter, you're going to have a problem in this town." He then stops. He explains he hasn't actually prepared the next package, so he tells me to go outside and help the villagers. I sigh but agree and go out.

Most of the work was pretty boring. I went to Egbert, who wants his Gameboy back from Mitzi. It turns out that Mitzi - a cat, who is white and blue, and has a pretty shirt on with multicoloured polka-dots - has it. When I go, she gives it back, but then she requests to get her organizer back from Egbert. After an hour of running back and forth between these two, I go back to Nook's again.

"Were you able to help out? Many animals need things, hm? Did you get anything good in return? The critters in town are all fairly generous, so your work never goes unrewarded. That's quite nice, hm?"

Yeah, but I didn't get anything this time - not that I care.

"Next, I need you to deliver a nice carpet for me, yes? And don't dilly-dally along the way, hm?"

He hands me a small carpet, telling me to take it to Egbert - again. Then I'm off once again.

Once back, I'm told to deliver an axe. I do so within five minutes and come back AGAIN to my exhausting work. But the next one is the best. He tells me to put an ad up for his shop on the bulletin board. One word comes to me. Payback. I dash over there without a moment's hesitation. Finally, some sweet, sweet justice. After thinking long and hard, I come to the conclusion of:

 _Come to Nook's Cranny! People scream and we take their money!_

I am quite content on what I wrote.

Then night falls.

After welcoming me back, Nook tells me that I am officially paid off us much as I can and that I have no more work he can give me. He says I'll have to pay back the remaining Bells on my own time, which is fine by me!

My joy burst through the roof. I can hardly contain myself.

He continues to explain that I pay the rest of my loan off at the Post Office. Once he finishes talking - like I was listening anyways - I quickly excuse myself out the door before he can say another word. And as I step outside, I can hardly contain myself. I clench my fists, stomp my feet, and pump my fist into the air.

"YES! I'm finally done working! I'm free! I'm free!"

I have so much energy. I jump, dash around in circles, and then sprint to my house. I'm finally free of this torment. I approach my house and turn to speak to my gyroid.

"Hello, Decco."

"Hey!" I say, overfull of joy.

"It is now November twentieth, two thousand and fifteen."

I stop. "Wait, what?"

"It is now November twentieth, two thousand and fifteen." It repeats.

"I came here in late October…" I think aloud. "That means…. No… No… I've been out for almost a month!"

I turn to the gyroid and thank it for its work. I then wander into the moonlight, and for some reason, wander into a sea of despair.


	9. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8**

I let the moonlight swallow me up. I'm trying hard to keep my feelings bottled up inside, but eventually, I give up, and let the tears flow. Nothing has gone right since my father smashed that axe through my door, which in turn, smashed my life apart as well. The tears are flowing freely now, but I make no sound - I don't want to wake up the neighbours with them hearing a wailing outside.

I sniff back my emotions.

"Positives…" I mumble. "Think of the positives…"

Well, I did manage to get out alive without getting an axe slammed into my skull and ended up getting buried in the backyard. I managed to get out, find a place where I'm welcome and have a home all to myself. The home was handed to me when I got no money, and I'm free to pay it off whenever I like."

"I'm alive…" I say out loud. "I'm alive, and that's all that matters."

I slowly pick myself back up.

"Come on, Decco, stand like a big boy." I mutter to myself, and I obey my thoughts. I start to walk to my house and slightly kick a blue volleyball that's resting in the grass to my left. Hands in my pockets, I walk up to the door and tell the gyroid to "save", whatever that means.

When I fall onto my bed, I close my eyes and dream only of darkness.

I take no notice of anything for the next week; I'm like a zombie. I just sit down outside in the dirt, drawing simple shapes in the dirt, or drawing in my sketchbook. I ignore the few letters I get and hardly go exploring. I talk to nobody, and I feel empty. Something's missing inside me. Though I think of the positives, the negatives hugely triumph the positives, and I'm stuck in gloom once again. I eat minimally, but more than I'm used to.

Then I start to feel better. I take short walks alone, talk a small bit to Egbert or Mitzi, and enjoy writing a few letters - even one to my mother!

Within one more day, my gloom is destroyed by the sun in Rainhill.

"Hey, Decco!" Egbert yells, and waves his arm… wing? I'm sitting on a rock, drawing an orange tree, bathed in the sun resting beneath the ocean - a beautiful sunset!

"Whatcha doing, doodle-duh?"

"Not much…" I mumble. He glances at my paper. "Woah, doodle-duh. That looks great!"

I run a hand over my head and blush at his compliment. My hand catches on one of the horns on my hat.

"Maybe sometimes you could draw some nachos for me!" Egbert exclaims. "Of course, I'd probably just eat it thinking it was actually a plate of nachos!"

I let out a laugh, and he joins in with me. My days are now perfect, and all my worries are now lost. Rainhill was certainly turning into my kind of place.

"Oh, ya! I almost forgot, doodle-duh!"

I glance over at the yellow chicken.

"Today's the twenty-fifth! That means tomorrow's the Harvest Festival, doodle-duh!" He beams.

"The Harvest Festival?" I ask?

"It's the day we all get to lie back and celebrate the fruits of our works, doodle-duh! We get to gather around the town plaza, eat great plates of fruits and vegetables! We can also have stuffing, sandwiches, and a stuffed turkey, doodle-duh!"

My eyes light up thinking of the amazing feast tomorrow.

"The turkey's the headliner! And we get to sit around and just be with friends, doodle-duh!"

"Wow… sounds great…" I say, my head full of wonder. I never can imagine how much food we can stuff ourselves with, but I'm completely fine with that!

I close my book.

"Are you glad you came to Rainhill, doodle-duh?" I hear beside me. I turn my head. Egbert's starting off into the sunset. "I mean, why here?"

"Well, it was just a random ticket I chose. But I certainly am glad I came. I mean, I've been thinking about this all the wrong way. My father tries to kill me, I survive. I've got no home, but I can pay off a loan. I nearly got killed by a psycho, but I'm alive. I had to stay in bed for a week, but only a week. It's just all in the way you look at things."

I smile.

"Well man," I say "I'm gonna go to bed. Wake up early so I can be the first to the festival! I bet I can get there and eat more before you!"

"Oh, it's on, doodle-duh!"

We exchange smiles, then I run home.


	10. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9**

My eyes slowly open, and as soon as I catch sight on my roof, it hits me.

"It's the Harvest Festival!" I scream excitedly. I jump out of bed without a minutes hesitation. I put on my horn hat as well as a paw shirt - a yellow shirt with a brown paw in the middle. My hat turns the same pattern, and I run outside. I don't bother picking any fruit from trees - I'll be able to eat plenty soon enough.

I jog across the two wooden bridges over the river, turn and run down a hill - the same one with my experience with Rollo. I shudder at the memory and finish my dash down. And that's when I see it. The wishing well is a small fountain with a continuous stream running from it. It sits against a large tree that looks much older than me… older than the mayor! Sprawled around the tree is a large circle of concrete flooring.

Besides that, there's the actual festival. There's cheery music playing, and there're three tables surrounding the large tree. I advance to the table in front of the fountain. It's white, with a small orange table cloth on it, lying out like a diamond. On it sits a large plate with a flower pattern surrounding it. It's the type of plate where a turkey or ham would go. Beside it sits a red-handled fork and knife - probably for carving the meat. In the corner of the table is what looks like two wine bottles, but they could be juice. In front of the two bottles and a stack of white and blue paper cups.

I advance to the second - the one to the left of the tree. This one isn't as wide as the last one, but it has the same table cloth. On the bottom right sits a large basket of fruit. It contains the reddest of apples, as well as a group of grapes of green and purple. Next to the basket is a large plate of sandwiches cut into squares. They're on top of a thin bed of lettuce and have thick slices of tomato beside them as decoration. Behind the plate and the basket are the same bottles from the previous table.

The last table has the same layout. Two bottles, a basket of apples and grapes, and a plate of sandwiches - although these ones are cut into triangles. I walk to the front table and take a paper cup, and fill it with the liquid from the green bottle. It smells sweet and it's purple. When I bring it to my lips, it's as I thought: grape juice. I then walk to the second table again and pull a couple grapes from each bunch. I pop a couple into my mouth and nod at an upcoming Mitzi.

"Hello, Decco! Enjoying the festival so far, mew?"

I try to say "very much" but my mouth is full of grapes, causing Mitzi to laugh.

"Don't eat so fast, mew." She says.

I swallow. "Sorry," I say. She walks over and pulls a few grapes too, and I select an apple and sink my teeth into it, and pull off its skin. Chewing, I ask "How long have these festivals been going on for?"

"I'm not sure. As far back as I can remember, mew."

I bite more of the red fruit. "So, what do we do?"

"Well, first we get to eat all the appetizers, then the main course comes - it's usually turkey. Then we do stuff like dancing and some games, mew!"

I take a swig of juice. "Coolio."

Mitzi nods. "Well, I'll see you later Decco. I'm gonna talk to some others."

"See ya." I say.

Then she leaves.

Throughout the day, I just sort of lean up against the table, nodding at people who come to greet me. I eventually take a sandwich and eat it as I leave. It's ham with a thick slice of cheddar cheese with some lettuce and chunks of tomato in it. The bread it also really fluffy, too.

As I walk through the series of trees, I spot a turkey. He's black and pink and wears yellow overalls and a matching yellow hat. He's hiding behind a tree, peeking out occasionally, almost like he's hiding from something. I slowly approach him, and call out, "You okay, man?"

He turns around.

"Yaaaaah! Whuh-whuh-what? What're you doin' here? What do you want? Relax, OK? OK? We can talk this out, right? There's no need for violence!" He's clearly panicked.

"What are you talking about!?" I whisper loudly.

"Huh? What was that? You... You're not here to catch me?"

I shake my head.

"Why didn't you say so? For cryin' out loud! You tryin' to scare me to death? C'mon, level with me... What is up with this village?" He sees my confused look. "The letter I got from your Mayor Tortimer -the invitation? Did you see it? No? I've got it memorized!"

 _'We cordially invite you to be the main guest at our annual Harvest Festival. Heh hehh hehhh hoorf'_

"What's wrong with it?" I ask.

"What's wrong with it?! I can even see where the word 'dish' was erased and then replaced with 'guest'! I should never have come. I should have stayed at home and locked the doors. And your neighbors! They can't keep their paws off me! Patting me here, squeezing me there… Then there's the banquet table! Nothing but side dishes! What's that big empty platter for? Huh? Huh? Imagine my surprise when I meet your ancient tortoise of a mayor, and the first words out his mouth are...

' _How delectable- I mean delightful. How delightful to see you. A slip of the tongue. Put it out of your head. Don't want you getting tough. Tense! I meant don't you have a seat? Take off your feathers and have some bread crumbs. Heh hehh hehhh hoorf._ '"

I'm shocked. How could Tortimer do something like this…

"That kind of thing makes me nervous!" He yells quietly. Then he looks at me.

"You... You look harmless enough. But those other guys! They're all thinking with their stomachs! I've gotta do something. This could end very badly for me. If only I were an eagle or a penguin even! OK. First things first. The table setting...the knives and the forks and...the knives! Those have got to go! Easy enough to say, but...I can't get anywhere near that table. The danger... Ooh, now I'm getting a migraine."

"Easy man!" I interrupt. "Don't worry, I'll get them for you."

"What!? Really!?"

I nod. I'm on his side, and he can see this. Even though those villagers back there are my friends, this is just plain wrong.

"Thank you so very much!" He says joyfully.

"I'll be right back." Then I run off.

When I get back to the festival, it's a bit busier than before. I spot the front table containing the large fork and knife. I could only imagine the sharp blades piercing through Franklin's cooked flesh, cutting through it, and tearing chunks out, then my friends consuming it.

I bring my hand to my mouth, forcing myself from vomiting. One of those people eating would've been me, and I wouldn't have even realized it! I slowly approach the cursed objects. Sweat begins to drip from my face as I continue to picture all of us gutting and consuming the poor bird like animals. But we are! That's the way of the world. But there's nothing wrong with me feeling terrible about it...

I got to play my cards carefully. Steal the knives. Steal the forks. Steal the knives! It should be so easy, but it's so not. It's not going to be easy at all - I can be seen from every direction.

Animals glance over at me every once in a while, and I start to get really anxious. I feel as though they know I'm playing a part in their missing main course.

My vision goes three-sixty. Nobody's looking now. They're too caught up in the food or what they had for dinner last night, or what clothes they're wearing.

Then I just run. Two seconds, I grab the utensils and shove them in my pocket. I then immediately stand casually beside the table. Nobody saw it, nothing to see here. I start to move my legs, wanting to just sprint back, but that'd cause some attention to wander.

So I'm slow - casual. My heart is pounding, pretending that I'm one of them. I'm actually glad some anxiety kicked in my way, as it's working in my favor. Instead of the real reason, the animals think I'm just impatient about dinner. I continue to walk over to the sandwich table and select one. That draws no attention. But if people knew it was for their main course cowering behind a tree, I'd be part of that course.

Then those thoughts came. Claws puncturing my belly and tearing it open like it's chewing gum. Their arms inside me, pulling out my intestines like a spool of string being unraveled. My friends arguing over who got my liver and kidneys and others brawling over my severed arms and legs.

I run to a tree and vomit at its roots.

Then I laugh at my idiocy. They wouldn't really eat me…right? Right?

I sprint into the clearing without any more hesitation, erasing those evil thoughts from my head with every panicked step.


	11. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10**

My outright sprinting turns to a jog in a minute. I run to the spot where I first found Franklin, but I can't see him. "Franklin!" I whisper loudly. "Hello?"

No reply.

I continue to search around the trees when I spot him - his back turned towards me. I jog up to him and tap him on the back. He jumps instantly and spins around. "Cock-a-doodle-doo! Oh, it's just you. Now, I'm imitatin' chickens. Oh, the shame…"

I start to laugh a little. It was pretty funny. I then slide the knife and fork out of my pants, causing Franklin to freak out, and to fanatically start looking around for something to defend himself with.

"Hey, what're you planning to do with that knife and fork? I knew it! You traitor! You...CARNIVORE!"

"No man, they're for you."

He instantly stops panicking. "Huh? Are they for me? Really? Wow! Thank you. Thank you! In the wrong hands, these are deadly!" He then stores them away and breathes a sigh of relief.

"Whew. They're safe now. Here... It's not much, but I'd like you to have this harvest mirror. I hope you like it."

He hands me a leaf - which I'm guessing is the mirror.

"Oh, thanks!"

Franklin smiles. "Do me another favor, will you? Don't tell anyone about this hiding place. OK? See ya!"

I nod, then start to run away. "Oh wait!" I say. I turn around and hand him the sandwich I stole. "You probably are hungry." As I hand it to him, his eyes light up.

"Oh, thank you!"

I nod at him, we exchange smiles, and then I leave…

The rest of the day is pretty ordinary. I hang by the fountain, listening to the music, eating a sandwich or an apple here or there. I end up just eating some grapes every once in a while, just something for my mouth to do. I talk to my friends and neighbours that stop by and talk about anything really. Like, what could've happened to the main course, what whoever to do whoever, the new furniture they got, really anything. That's when Officer Copper comes.

"Hello, Decco!" He says, saluting me.

"Hey!" I say, saluting back with a smile.

"How's your head?"

I then remember my head wound. I take off my horn hat and touch the back of my scalp. The nerves sting a bit, but other than that it's healed over completely.

"It's actually a lot better! I mean, I'm not constantly bleeding anymore, I haven't violently puked from the pain in a few days and I've been told I'm gonna end up becoming dumb only three times today, so that's good." I say, placing my hat back on.

"That's good. Decco, I came by to say that Rollo has been taken away today. They've taken him to a mental asylum."

I say nothing, but my thoughts say everything. Things like "That's what he deserves" and "Will he ever come back?" I guess my thoughts changed my expression, because Officer Copper walks up closer, and says "Remember, he can't get you."

I nod understandingly, and he nods back. He then turns away and walks.

"Hopefully…" I mutter.

Sitting on a rock, staring at the harvest moon. I'm thinking about Rollo, what they're doing to him right now, and what he's doing.

"What're they doing to you..." I whisper.

I hear the chime on my mailbox start. _Ba-doo, ba-doo._

I immediately leap up and run to my mailbox. Mail doesn't get delivered this late at night! Must've been a special delivery... I open the mailbox, and it electronically puts the flag down, the light stops blinking, and the time stops. I pull out the envelope, and turn it over and look at the back.

It's from my mother! She replied! She actually wrote back...

I slowly open the envelope – I want to rip it out, but I intend to keep this letter for later.

 _Dearest child,_

 _Since I've cast aside your father I have missed you all so much. Certain events have compelled me to continue my travels. One day, when you're older, you will learn all about the people I have befriended and the dangers I have faced. At times the world can seem an unfriendly and sinister place, but believe me, when I say that there is much more good in it than bad. All you have to do is look hard enough. And what might seem to be a series of unfortunate events may, in fact, be the first steps of a journey. I hope to have you back in my arms soon, darling, but in case this letter arrives before my return, know that I love you. It fills me with pride to know that no matter what happens in this life, that you will take care of yourself and others, with kindness and bravery and selflessness, as you always have. And remember one thing, my darling, and never forget it: that no matter where I am, know that as long as you have your friends, then you have your family. And you are home._

 _Your mother_

Tears drip down my face, and I wipe them away before anyone can see me. Just when I really needed it, my mother finally wrote back...

I read it over and over. It sticks in my mind... " _At times the world can seem an unfriendly and sinister place, but believe me, when I say that there is much more good in it than bad."_

"Know that as long as you have your friends, then you have your family. And you are home." I say to myself. I smile, and hold the message to my chest, and smile even more.

"Thank you..." I whisper.


	12. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER 11**

In the morning, I slip out of bed and end up staring out the window in awe. Snow! It's finally December, and there's a thick bed of snow on the ground as well as the atmosphere which was crammed with snowflakes.

I throw on a thick winter sweater that I got from Nook's, which turns my hat into a tuque with horns. I step outside. Winter air rushes up my nostrils, making it sting. I grab my nose and let out a pained gasp for a second, but then the agony goes away.

I first check my mail, which is the usual crap – advertisements for Nook's, and something creepy I get every morning. A letter from something called _The Happy Home Showcase_ , which I'm guessing spies on your house and judges you! I don't know how they do it unless they break in, but I have no idea why they would. I just can't get over the fact that jolly people break into your home at night, judge you on your home decor, and then send you letters later on that morning...

I shudder and throw that letter away. But I also had a third... Normally I get two – advertisements, and the HHS, so this means this letter is from someone I know! Although I'd love another from my mother, I'd doubt it'd be another from her, as it would be too soon to mail. I reach my hand into the cold, tin, mailbox.

 _The Faraway Museum_ it reads on the back. I cock my head with curiosity and open it. It's written on fancy tan paper, as there are a few fossils carved into the paper. The tan color is that sandstone kind of tan.

 _Welcome, Decco_

 _The Faraway Museum cordially invites you to take part in its free fossil identification program! Send us any fossil you find, and we'll identify it and return in promptly._

 _Thanks for your support!_

Fossils! I've never thought of that! I've once bought a bug to Blathers – the owl who runs the museum. He's a small, brown one, and loves talking about the types of stuff you can bring in. Along with fossils, he takes works of art – good for me – as well as fish and bugs. It's actually really funny. When you give him a bug, he freaks out because he's so scared of them! But bring him a fish and he loves to talk about the species you find! It actually can be quite interesting.

Inspired, I grab the shovel I bought from Nook's a few days ago and run off to dig up the graves of our planet's ancestors. My eyes are all over the snow covered ground. Whenever there's something buried in the earth beneath, you can usually see a brown star above, indicating the loose soil. So far, the brown star is easier to see in the white snow than in the green grass, so it'll be easy to dig up some easy for a few months. White, white, white, brown!

"Nope..." I mutter. "Dirt patch."

I continue to look amongst the white, so much that the bright shade starts to hurt my eyes. Until at last, I find a star! A brown dirt star engraved in the dirt. Something's buried down there, no doubt about it! I waste no time and shove my shovel into the dirt, and push down on the handle, raising the tool and bringing up the treasure below.

The fossil is a rough, dark blue sphere, with a thick white spiral in the middle and two small white stars inscribed in its body. I immediately grab it with my hand, raise it in the air, and yell "Check it out! I dug up a fossil!"

I throw the shovel down and examine it more. One hand holding the fossil, which is about the size of my palm, fitting perfectly in its grasp. My other hand finds it's way to a horn on my hat, holding on to it as I examine the heavy blue ball. Something confused me – how could a fossil this size hold something like a skull or body of some prehistoric animal? I guess I'd just have to send it off to The Faraway Museum to find out.

Placing the ball and the shovel back at home, I decide to run back outside, not wanting to waste my time indoors. My day consists of going to Nook's for shopping, picking some fruit for a snack and maybe having some for a meal later tonight. I also collected some seashells on the beach to sell for some quick cash and kick a sky blue volleyball around with Mitzi and Egbert. Because of the ball being very light, it caught the air very far, and it ended up in the ocean, floating away to somewhere... This lead us just sitting on the sand, and we ended up talking about the snow and seashells.

As the moon rose, I decided to make a snowman, as village life after sunset was a bit dull. I felt like an all-powerful god – molding life through very little with my own two hands. I was told that the snowmen would come to life and speak to you, and I just laughed. I thought those who told me were high, but then again, I'm talking to English-speaking animals that stand on their hind legs, so would that mean I'm high right now?

That night, I finally dreamt a good dream, as my head was packed full of the most horrifying dreams for a while. I dreamt of blue skies, the soft breeze, and sunshine. It was a lovely day, and I was sitting on the grass with my friends. Pure heaven – until their faces melted off and they wouldn't stop saying my name.

Pure hell.


	13. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER 12**

 _Who was it? I don't know. But I somehow knew him. Was I related? A friend? I don't know. But he knew. He could see my bloody clothes that were attached to my equally bloody body, the crime scene behind me. A small knife was in my hand, clutched so firmly it was causing my palm to open up, and bleed._

" _Decco... Where's Pete?" He asked. The mail-pelican! My whole body shook, as well as my lips. My outraged memory came back to me like a truck._

" _I stuck a blender in his head and killed him..."_

 _His face showed obvious alert, shock, fear, I don't know... confusion?_

" _...Oh... Where's Bill?"_

" _I killed him also."_

 _He just stood there shocked. "Oh... I totally understand."_

 _I stood there, fist still clenching that knife._

" _Look, Decco. The plan was supposed to turn out differently. But, how were we supposed to know that you were... really good at killing people. Which is also sorta weird..."_

 _He approached me slowly. Cautiously._

" _Decco, you can stop now. You don't have to do this."_

 _And somehow, I knew he betrayed me. That he was on the side of the people I killed out of self-defense._

 _My fist swung into the side of his throat, and the knife was in his neck. His expression showed shock and pain as I slowly slid my weapon out of his flesh._

 _Blood gushed from the open wound, and he coughed, spat, and gagged._

" _Why?" He asked, blood sputtering out of his mouth._

" _Why the fuck not?" I said quietly. With that, I rose the knife and drove it right through his eyeball, and into his goddamn brain._

 _He was dead._

 _Then there was a gunshot, which hit me through the shoulder with a shredding pain. My vision went red and I spun around from the bullet and fell to the floor, right beside my most recent victim's fresh corpse._

 _Officer Copper lowered his gun, watching from what he thought was my most recent murder._

 _Then I died, mortally wounded from a gunshot._

 _What's with these dreams?_

 _Or were they?_

 _Ba-doo, ba-doo._

"Hmm?" Escapes my sleepy lips.

 _Ba-doo, ba-doo._

"Argh!" I groan and throw a pillow at my door, my head not getting up from my other pillow. "Shut up mailbox..." I command, half-asleep.

 _Ba-doo, ba-"_

Three loud knocks slam on the wood outside of my door, which then creeks open, flooding my room with light. Mitzi comes on in and shuts the door.

"Good morning!" She says cheerfully.

"If that's what you call it – it's fucking freezing..." I groan and sit up.

"Sorry..." She giggles. "Should I come back later?"

"No, it's alright." I pull on a shirt.

"So, what's happening today?" Mitzi asks, placing herself in a chair.

"I'm not sure..." I mumble, and dangle my bare feet over the edge of my bed, before stepping on the ground and hissing at the icy touch. "Maybe you could just take me to the back and shoot me..."

"Oh yeah, like that'll solve anything, mew." She says with a smile. Hopefully, it wasn't a smile of evil...

I laugh at that thought as I throw on my horn hat and pull on some green socks.

"Well, actually, I did want to make a snowman, to see whether or not they do come to life, as you and others claim."

"But they do!"

"Ok, sure. Anyways besides that, I really wanted to do some fish and bug catching, because I think that museum of ours should really start filling up." I had my shoes on by now.

"That sounds ok," Mitzi said with a smile, and then walked up to the refrigerator and pulled herself an apple. "What about fossils? And there's artwork to think about too, mew."

"Well... Damn Mitzi, all of this thinking straight off in the morning... This is too much on my brain."

"Oh, boo-hoo." She replied, mockingly.

 _Ba-doo, ba-doo._

"Can we get the mail too!?" I yell to myself. I then turn to the door. "We hear you, just shut up..."

The sun shone brightly as Mitzi and I leaned up against a fence, taking a break from our bug catching. So far we had donated some fish, and some fossils that she had and the one I had. I eventually found my hand on a pelican resting on the fence beside me and played ventriloquist with it as Mitzi was pretending not to see my... unique side.

"Hey, how's it going?" I exclaimed as Mitzi faced me, hands on hips as she lowered her brow out of annoyance.

"It's going awesome! Bow bow, buh bow bow!" I continued, opening and closing the poor bird's mouth as I strained my voice deep.

"Decco, leave that thing alone." Mitzi declared as I continued to play ventriloquist with it.

"Aw, I don't mind none!" I said, once again playing pelican. I then let go of the beak, pointing at my water bottle I was then holding.

"Hey look, I'm drinking water!" I exclaimed, pouring the water into my mouth as I began playing with the pelican's beak again.

"Twinkle, twinkle little...blah!" I coughed, dropping the bottle as the pelican flew away from the hell I was causing it.

Mitzi was in hysterics from how silly I was being.

"What's wrong with you, Decco? Why do you do things?" She cried.

"I don't know, but I wouldn't have it any other way." I laughed along.

It's a crazy life, a random life, a wonderful life.


	14. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER 13**

A crazy life? I really thought that? Well, okay, maybe yes, but that has come and gone. It's sad how earlier today I was having a great time and now, here I am, just sitting on my couch... unable to move...

All my cells, atoms, molecules feel like iron. I'm just too tired and bored.

"Ok, Decco..." I say to myself. "One more second and you're getting you butt up..."

The second goes by... Ok, a minute... Or an hour... Maybe days – you know what, just forget it. I'll eventually dose off.

Without thinking, I swing my legs up and jump upright onto the floor. Losing my balance and the sudden blood rush sent to my scalp sent me toppling, almost hitting the T.V. on my way down.

"Crap... Why life?" I mumble, holding my head and sitting up. Amongst the T.V. sounds, the music that was drumming through my home is so melancholic, so random, so sad yet happy... What the hell am I listening to?

I slowly stood up and walk to the upper left side of my house, where my stereo rests.

Oh, it's _K.K. Ballad_... Now I know why I've been so down. I press pause and slide the record out of its place. I grab its sleeve, and carefully slide it back into its home. Before going into the future selection, I gaze at my large record player. So grand... Way better than that crappy tape deck that came with my small shack at the time. Nook really screwed me there...

I place _K.K. Ballad_ to the side and go through my choices.

 _K.K. Bossa_... While one of my favourites, I want to be in a more upbeat mood... I scan some more records...

 _K.K. Song... Stale Cupcakes_... My hands ran across DJ K.K. I almost pick that, but then choose to debate over _K.K. Condor and K.K. Ragtime_.

I choose _K.K. Condor_ and stare at its cover for a minute. It shows the famous singer in a large, vast, brown, rocky land, with him in the front holding a guitar. I smile and slide the record out. I place it in my stereo, and let it play.

Sitting back down in my place on my couch, I pull out my sketchbook. I haven't really done anything in it for a while, although I do upload some sketches online.

With the T.V. and stereo going, lights on, I pull out my pencil and draw.

Better than the sight of snow-covered flowers that assault my eyes.


End file.
